First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species

Olesen, Anna J.; Leithoff, Anneliese; Altenburger, Andreas; Krock, Bernd; Beszteri, Bánk; Eggers, Sarah Lena; Lundholm, Nina

doi:10.3390/toxins13020093

Open AccessArticle

First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species

by

Anna J. Olesen

^1,*

,

Anneliese Leithoff

¹,

Andreas Altenburger

²

,

Bernd Krock

³,

Bánk Beszteri

⁴

,

Sarah Lena Eggers

³ and

Nina Lundholm

¹

Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark

²

The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Lars Thørings veg 10, 9006 Tromsø, Norway

³

Ökologische Chemie, Alfred Wegener Institut-Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany

⁴

Department of Phycology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Toxins 2021, 13(2), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020093

Submission received: 31 December 2020 / Revised: 18 January 2021 / Accepted: 22 January 2021 / Published: 26 January 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Current Challenges in Marine and Freshwater Biotoxin Monitoring)

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Abstract

The Southern Ocean is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. It is an area heavily dependent on marine primary production and serving as a feeding ground for numerous seabirds and marine mammals. Therefore, the phytoplankton composition and presence of toxic species are of crucial importance. Fifteen monoclonal strains of Pseudo-nitzschia subcurvata, a diatom species endemic to the Southern Ocean, were established, which were characterized by morphological and molecular data and then analysed for toxin content. The neurotoxins domoic acid and iso-domoic acid C were present in three of the strains, which is a finding that represents the first evidence of these toxins in strains from Antarctic waters. Toxic phytoplankton in Antarctic waters are still largely unexplored, and their effects on the ecosystem are not well understood. Considering P. subcurvata’s prevalence throughout the Southern Ocean, these results highlight the need for further investigations of the harmful properties on the Antarctic phytoplankton community as well as the presence of the toxins in the Antarctic food web, especially in the light of a changing climate.

Keywords: Antarctic; Domoic Acid; Iso-Domoic acid; HAB; Southern Ocean

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MDPI and ACS Style

Olesen, A.J.; Leithoff, A.; Altenburger, A.; Krock, B.; Beszteri, B.; Eggers, S.L.; Lundholm, N. First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species. Toxins 2021, 13, 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020093

AMA Style

Olesen AJ, Leithoff A, Altenburger A, Krock B, Beszteri B, Eggers SL, Lundholm N. First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species. Toxins. 2021; 13(2):93. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020093

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olesen, Anna J., Anneliese Leithoff, Andreas Altenburger, Bernd Krock, Bánk Beszteri, Sarah Lena Eggers, and Nina Lundholm. 2021. "First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species" Toxins 13, no. 2: 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020093

APA Style

Olesen, A. J., Leithoff, A., Altenburger, A., Krock, B., Beszteri, B., Eggers, S. L., & Lundholm, N. (2021). First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species. Toxins, 13(2), 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020093

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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First Evidence of the Toxin Domoic Acid in Antarctic Diatom Species

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